Beginning on Tue. March 5 and lasting through the week, Independence Insurance Agency and Arbella Insurance brought the Distractology program to Abington High School so that students with a drivers license of learners permit could experience distracted driving. The event was free for students and participants even earned a $15 gift card.

Distractology is a driving simulator where students are given multiple obstacles to see how they would react to different interfering situations. The program can allow students to “test their driving skills while being challenged by real life driving distractions,” said Ms. Casey, a teacher, wellness director, and coach at the high school. Each student had a 45 minute class.

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“It puts them in different situations where they need to realize what’s going on around them.””

— Ms. Casey

According to the company’s description of the program, “Our traveling tour puts inexperienced drivers behind the wheel of a simulator to experience real-world distractions that can cause real-world accidents.” Using the radio, texting, and apps such as Snapchat are common distractions, a spokesperson of Distractology said. Ms. Casey added that Distractology “puts them [students] in different situations where they need to realize what’s going on around them.”

Ms. Casey said that “Many students thought it was a completely different learning experience from regular classroom-based drivers education, where they could physically see the effects of their actions.”

Thank you to Arbella Insurance Foundation and Independence Insurance for bringing this program to our school and educating students on the effects of distracted driving.

Pursuant to state law, no expression made by students in the exercise of such rights shall be deemed to be an expression of school policy, and no school officials shall be held responsible in any civil or criminal action for any expression made or published by the students.